1-Deprenyl is a selective monoamine oxidase B (MAO-B) inhibitor, which is widely used as an adjunct in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. While it's most common usage is for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, 1-deprenyl was originally developed as an antidepressant agent. Recent testing has indicated that 1-deprenyl may have some effect on increasing sexual response in aging animals, and also may have some effect, at least in rats in increasing the natural life span. However, to date 1-deprenyl has only been medically approved by regulatory agencies for use for treatment of Parkinson's disease.
The search for new lines of medication to improve the quality of life in senescence ever continues. This becomes especially important in modern-day society, especially in developed countries, where the proportion of citizens over 65 years of age continues to increase. In sum, the quality of life has become increasingly important in older years, as people continue to experience longer life expectancy.
There is, therefore, a continuing and real need for the development of medications which retard the normal deterioration of certain physiological functions.
It is a primary objective of the present invention to develop a dosage regimen for the use of 1-deprenyl to retard deterioration of normal renal function with age, to retard deterioration of cognitive abilities during advanced aging, and to retard the deterioration in the natural tendency for curious or exploratory behavior in aged mammals, such as pets like dogs and cats.
While 1-deprenyl is a known compound, it has never before been used at any level to retard physiological effects of age deterioration on certain organs, such as kidneys, nor to retard cognitive ability deterioration with age.
Like most drugs, 1-deprenyl can have diverse physiological effects which are completely dependent upon the dose administered. In accordance with the present invention, 1-deprenyl can be used for successful methods of treatment to provide the desired physiological effects enumerated herein, providing that it is used at the dosage levels mentioned herein and providing it is administered at the periodic intervals and for the time spans mentioned herein. Obviously, when different dosages and levels of treatment are used, the results expressed herein may not be achieved. In fact, at higher doses, adverse behavioral effects may be encountered.